For the first time in its history, Texas is shuttering a prison -- a creaky, 102-year-old lockup southwest of Houston once made famous in the folk song "Midnight Special."

Half the state away in Brownwood, a Texas Youth Commission lockup for teenage lawbreakers sits empty, one of three juvenile prisons closed effective Sunday as part of a state plan to focus mostly on community-based rehabilitation and treatment programs.

The empty cells were once unthinkable in a tough-on-crime state like Texas that once couldn't build prisons fast enough.

Texas joins a nationwide trend of shutting expensive state prisons, driven partly by red ink in state budgets, partly by a drop in convict numbers -- with the lowest crime rate since 1973 -- and partly by a policy shift from lock-'em-up justice to rehabilitation programs.

"From where Texas was just a few short years ago, this is huge," said House Corrections Committee Chairman Jerry Madden, a Richardson Republican and an architect of the changes. "There were those who said this day would never come."

37 comments:

Anonymous
said...

Even though the Texas Youth Commission closed 3 facilities they must still answer the following questions to the tax payers;Ron Jackson Correctional Facility Unit I in Brownwood Texas has a bed capacity of 300 but as of this week holds 120 girls. This campus has over 300 state employees and under-filled beds. Madden/Whitmire can you help explain why we are paying for this under utilized facility?Corsicana Residential Treatment Center in Corsicana Texas has the worse, structurally speaking, campus in the agency and this would have included those that were closed last month. Madden/Whitmire have you looked at how much money it will cost to fix the sinking foundation, the walls that are falling down, multiple occupancy rooms? To actually utilize this campus to it's fullest potential you would have to keep 2 to 3 youth in open rooms together, how safe is this when you look at the amount of sexual allegations this campus has had over the years? Madden/Whitmire have you done your homework and looked at those facilities that remained open compared to those that closed, why did TYC close 2 East Texas facilities when Harris County is the biggest county in terms of commitments?In times of budget shortfall the tax payers would like to know why these issues have ocurred under your watch, why did you allow this to take place, we would like to see another facility closed based upon this under utilization.

Closing those facilities was supposed to be the beginning of the development of community based programming for youth who would otherwise be institutionalized. If as much planning goes into community programming as did the facility closure, I advise getting a big dog and a concealed handgun license. TYC is not the agency, nor is the state in general, the one to develop secure community programs. Public safety is one of the last things that will be assured by the development of these programs.

I am not going to hold my breath while Austin touts it is doing the "right thing" by "shifting" from incarceration to rehab. Going from 112 prisons to 111 is not significant but is an indicator of the extremes Texas will go through in dire financial times.

While I want to believe we are rounding the curve on this prison-state mentality, I am not easily swayed by this dancing on the grave at the Central Unit.

Why would TYC keep open a fcaility in Brownwood that does not utilze all those exra beds. You would have to think that other youth could be placed at this facility to fill these beds, if not why not close the place. Seems like a lot of staff for so fews girls, are you sure these numbers are accurate.

We can only hope that the recent cuts to Education and Mental Health budgets by the Texas Legislature in addition to less State revenues going back to the cities and counties, does not have a ripple effect by making fewer services available to high risk juveniles and their families. The emphasis is now supposed to be on maintaining services in the local community both for prevention up-front and reduced recidivism on the back end. Local School Districts, MHMR Centers, County financed Juvenile Probation Services etc., are going to have fewer dollars to provide these needed services to problem kids. Hopefully this is not the perfect storm.

Jerry Madden said this huge, why would he state this when the real issue was based upon funds. Now TDCJ has continue to grow but since they are the big boys on the block these elected officials did nothing but close one facility. I guess their thought process would be, since TYC closed 3 facilities and we have taken all funding for any meaningful community based programs for juveniles the state will need all of the adult prisons to lock up these up and coming juveniles.TYC nor will the new agency (Texas Juvenle Justice Dept) ever recieve funding to ensure community based programs work to keep juveniles out of the system.

Sure thing this new juvi super agency conceived to cover-up for the pedophile job corps tyc employee culture is just another publicly crock in the states long history of cover-up when tyc state sponsored child abuse becomes public knowledge.

So what’s in a name change???In 1919 the 36th Legislature created the Texas State Board of Control (Senate Bill 147, Regular Session). The legislation directed the Board of Control to take over management of the state juvenile training school, abolishing the Board of Trustees. The school was renamed the Gatesville State School for Boys in 1939. In 1949, the State Youth Development Council (later named the Texas Youth Council) took over management of the school (House Bill 705, 51st Legislature, Regular Session). In 1971 a class-action lawsuit was bought against the Texas Youth Council on behalf of juvenile defenders (Morales vs. Turman). This led to sweeping changes in the Texas juvenile justice system. The presiding federal judge, Judge William Wayne Justice, ordered the closing of the state schools at Gatesville (boys) and Gainesville (girls). The Gatesville State School for Boys closed in 1979. The Texas Youth Commission (Texas Youth Council was renamed the Texas Youth Commission in 1983) today manages several facilities throughout the state for juvenile offenders.From: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/tslac/20045/tsl-20045.htmlSheldon has a very good point.

The abusive culture will continue and young troubled youth will continue to be sexualy abused by the new agency. Different name....same type employees and corrupt management. Ref. "Raped by The State".

Everyone is hopeful that new leadership will take over this agency. If you really want to see how well the agency is doing look at the number of pepper sprays being utilized with far fewer youth locked up. Then look at the number of restraints, youth on youth assaults and youth on staff assaults, bear in mind that this population went from 4500 youth to 1300 youth in institutions. The leadership at Central Office has been non-existent

As TYC constricts and consolidates, its culture becomes more concentrated at the facilities that remain open. Those staff members coming in from the newly closed facilities will find their new (open) facility to be familiar to them, with the same old culture, habits and traditions.

Nothing will change until the agecy is purged top to bottom of all the "old-timers" who are only concerned with personal power and a big paycheck are surgically removed like the cancer they have become.Very few, "real" juvenile corrections professionals are left in an agency that had to endure the likes of Dimitria Pope and Billy Humphrey, Cherie Townsend, James Smith and Alan Walters. Back in 1990, a friend told me that the TYC anthem was the song "Road to Nowhere". Unless I'm mistaken, TYC has reached its destination.

Alan has done more good for this agency than those you place him with. I have had dealings with all of them and can attest to this. While I would agree the agency has continued to spiral out of control based upon those others you mentioned, but this has more to do with their lack of actual hands on experience. I could be mistaken but none of these have ever had a case load, held a group, or ran a facility. Always being placed in positions and never actually earning them.

Why are we staffing to capicity a 300 bed facility in Brownwood when there are only 120 housed in it? ok who pays the extra staff? extra insurance? extra retirement? and not to mention the high accident rate in brownwood who pays that? oh well one more time its the Tax Payers ! Looks like TYC has pulled off another scam to squeeze money from the tax payers...

This would be a question that Whitmire and Madden would have to answer, but we will have to wait until they finish patting themselves on the back for a job well done this past session with Juvenile diversion!

"The Statesman's Mike Ward has a story on..." Thats a cute lead in! Ward hasnt had an original thought in years, his stories are all either cover for Whitmire or something Whitmire wants a bunch of energy pumped into so he can save the day.

His, I this and I that was never more on display than this session. Except this time he handed a baton to Madden in the house who had no idea what he got into and he admitted it more than once.

Its the three stoogies...Moe Whitmire slapping and poking the eyes of anyone that ask a question, Larry Madden trying to follow orders from Moe and not get slapped and last but not least the innocent Curlie Ward thinking he had an orginal thought looking like the dumb one cause he had to write a bunch of political BS that folks in the field know is wrong!

Ultimately leadership at all phases of our government and the Youth Commission is an issue. I would dare to say that all of these people have very little knowledge of juvenile facilities, or effective treatment modalities. Theories they may have, but no hands on experience.

08/05 1:01 pm - You sound like one of Chipper's butt boys. His main concern has nothing to do with helping kids. He's all about retiring with a big check. Ask Jeff B. how many times he got moved by Walters with no concern for his home or family. Perhaps that's why he quit TYC? As far as having "dealings" with him, was that with or without KY?

Whatever happened to the following, Grits can you see if Whitmire held true to his promise of cutting back these high salaries;

Despite two rounds of budget cuts and a looming $27 billion state revenue shortfall, top officials at the Texas Youth Commission received pay raises ranging from 3.5 to 10 percent over the past four months, according to records the American-Statesman obtained Thursday.

Eight Youth Commission officials received the pay bumps, and all but one now make more than $100,000 a year. The remaining employee, a pediatrician, takes home more than $216,000.

The disclosure Thursday triggered anger among legislative leaders, who revealed that they are considering a plan to require many state employees to take a pay cut — 5 percent for those who make more than $50,000 a year and 10 percent for those who make more than $100,000 a year.

3 facilities down and 6 more to go, this agency (TYC) cannot continue to survive with current leadership. This is reality, just look around and ask anyone who works at one of these facilities that survived the last round of cuts if they believe they are able to make a real difference with the youth they work with. Are the programs working to keep youth out of the system once they transition?

"The abusive culture will continue and young troubled youth will continue to be sexualy abused by the new agency. Different name....same type employees and corrupt management. Ref. "Raped by The State". "

Surely no one can still be upset about the facilities that were closed???? I think it was the greatest thing that ever could have happened for Texas youths!

I am still thrilled that Al Price got shut down and the corrupt management team got broken apart! No more playing for the HRA, unless of course they transferred her to another location! Wish I could see her without her "counterpart".

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